The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-04-01
lecture ON a.ricnI1ure.

Lecture ON Agriculture.
Mortimer Whitehead, lecturer ofthe State
Grange Patrons of Husbandry, gave All adj
dress Wednesday afternoon on Agriculture
to large audience in the Opera House.
Richman Coles, Master of the State
Grange, presided. and introduced the
lecturer who held the interest Of the au-
dience to the end of his remarks, and gave
an address full of information and in
struction That the farming community at
this busy season should turn out in such
force to hear lecture on agriculture
speaks we'll both for the popularity of the
lecturer and the intelligence of the farm
er, and the interest taken by them in their
calling. result largely brought about by
the influence of the Grange.
Mr.. Whitehead spoke in substance as
follows: am pleased TO meet with my
fellow Patrons of Woodstown, and am
glad that the opportunity is offered to
speak to them and the citizens of the COM
munity in public way. | am farmer
myself and have no money invested i'll any
other enterprise. Notwithstanding the
predictions of those who declared the
Grange would not exist longer than two
years at the most, the Order is stronger
and more effective to-day than at any
time since it's organization, twenty years
grown the old members turned gray The
fact that some Oranges have gone down,
and some members left those still existing,
is no proof that the organization is q fail
IRE. Where charters have been surren-
dered it was the fault of the farmers living
right around the place where the society
was started, and the places of those who
have stepped out have been filled by more
efficient and useful members, persons who
have connected themselves with the Grange
With the best of motives. Members of all
| other trades and professions work together,
stand together, and why should not We
! farmers? The farmers used to stay at home
and delve and toll sixteen hours a day,
| through heat and cold, thinking they knew
! it all. But we now have an organization
| of our own, and for he to tell all the good
there is in it would be an impossihility.
| The field is too broad We want the peo-
pie to understand first Of all that our
Order is designed fos something far better
| than money getting. TO be sure, it is
right for the Granger to benefit himself.
| Don't the lawyer and the doctor and the
merchant do the same thing? The most
valuable feature of our organization is ed
ucation. knowledge is power. Formerly
| the farmer cherished the idea that muscle
was more important than brain power and
| they loved TO brag of their physical
strength Their boys We're made to make
| brooms baskets and rake teeth in the
winter months, instead of encouraging
them to devote their spare time to study.
In thousands of homes q chosen youth
| has been sent away to college to acquire
| collegiate education that will fit him for
| some lofty profession, while the rest Of the
| family will save and economize to pay for
Al, -
depending too much upon muscle. We
have brains as we'll as muscles and we can
cultivate one as much as the other, Know
| ledge is power
The system of purchasing seeds and fer
tilzers and machinery, etc, at wholesale
| prices, is saving the grange farmers hun
dreds of dollars. The institution Of ex-
changes for dsposing of their peaches and
other products at fair prices is giving
more protection to the agriculturist than
the husbandmcn outside of the Grange can
secure himself The Grange Fire Insu-
| rance Companies are saving for the
grangers thousands of dollars that they
| would be obliged to pay in the old way.
Where did our money go to in those COM
panies? Why il went to pay big salaries,
construct magnificent buildings, pay div
idends, keep up surplus and pay for the
great city fires. All this money had to
come out of our own pockets"
The lecturer spoke of what the Grange
had done for the protection and benefit of
farmers by securing the Interstate Com
merce law, compelling railroad companies
to use no discrimination in the charges
for carrying freight over their roads. The
benefit of a protective tariff was spoken of
at considerable length, and the speakers
remarks on this subject were talked over
by the male portion Of the audiences at the
close of the address A rising vote Of
thanks was rendered Mr. Whitehead for
| his able speech.